Chapter 11
Melinda sat on the back step soaking up the late afternoon sun. She sipped a glass of wine as she admired the seven towering columns, which were the supports for the pergola. Once the first column went up, the rest had quickly followed. Adam and the guys wrapped up a short time ago with a promise to be back in the morning to add the crossbeams. She didn’t want them to work on Sunday, but both Tim and Will said they didn’t mind. The pergola was going to be quite a statement. It was taking shape and would complement the backyard better than she had hoped.
She opened the folder in her hands and scanned the pages and then studied a woman’s picture. She had a new match for Adam. She held the phone in her hand. She usually just emailed her clients, but something about this man was special. She really wanted to find the perfect woman for him.
He answered on the third ring. “Hi, Adam, it’s Melinda.”
“Mel, this is a nice surprise.” He sounded genuinely happy to hear her voice.
She set the folder on the step. “What did you think of the last match I sent over?”
“I hate to say it, but I’d rather pass. Her facial features remind me too much of my ex.”
“Well, in that case, I have good news. I found a new match for you and I wondered if you’d like to stop over and we can talk about it.”
“Do you give each of your clients this personal service?” His voice held a hint of laughter.
“I don’t think my clients have any complaints with my commitment to working with them.” She joked, “If they did I think my referrals would go way down.”
She heard him chuckle. “I just got out of the shower, so I can swing by in about fifteen minutes.”
“I was going to throw a burger on the grill if you’d like to join me?” With a shake of her head, she had to wonder why that popped out of her mouth.
“I haven’t eaten yet. Do you want me to bring something?”
“Sure, that’d be nice. Maybe some ice cream?”
“I’ll see you in a while.” He disconnected the call.
Melinda took another sip of wine as she watched two birds splashing in the birdbath at the edge of the patio. John had given it to her on their first wedding anniversary. It seemed like another lifetime. She remembered that John had told her love birds would follow her always.
She stood and leaned back, stretching her upper body, humming as she set her glass aside to uncover the grill. She pulled her bistro table and two chairs back onto the patio and then went into the kitchen to toss a salad and make burgers.
A knock on the front door caught her attention. She crossed the hall and found Adam on the step. The moment he saw her, he held a brown bag up for her to see. “I hope you like coffee.”
“How did you know, it’s my favorite.” Melinda took the bag from his outstretched hand. “Come on in. I was just finishing up in the kitchen.”
Adam followed her. “I’m curious. Did you design the kitchen or was it like this when you bought the house?” He ran his hand over the breakfast bar. “I really like the layout.”
“Thanks, I had it redone before I moved in. I’m really pleased with the way it came out. Beer or wine?” she asked.
“Beer’s good.”
She handed him a bottle after she twisted off the cap. She glanced around the room and smiled. “I took the smaller dining room and the original kitchen and did a complete gut.” She picked up the plate of burgers and set it on a tray with the salad, plates, forks and condiments. “Will you hold the door?”
Adam set his beer on the tray. “How about I take the tray and you get the door?”
She gave him a smile. “Thank you.” Melinda held open the screen and let Adam go out first. “You can set it on the table.” She watched him. Other than John, she had never had dinner with a man in her home before. Melinda was surprised how natural this felt.
She opened the grill and hit the igniter button. With a soft whoosh, it came to life. “How do you like your burger?”
“Rare.” He pulled out a chair and patted the back. “Have a seat. I’ll cook tonight just to show you I can handle a grill.”
She laughed. “Making up for the fish?”
His smile warmed his eyes. “Yes.”
“While you’re doing that, I can fill you in on the details of your next date.” She crossed the patio and retrieved the folder under her wine glass. “Are you ready?”
Adam slipped the burgers on the hot grate. “Lay it on me.”
As the burgers sizzled, Melinda sat at the table and scanned the first page again to not miss any details. “Beth is a nurse at the medical center. She likes running and does a few 5ks every year. It says she also loves playing tennis and enjoys the outdoors when she can.” She looked at Adam. “How does that sound?”
He laughed. “I wonder if I can keep up with her.”
With appreciation Melinda ran her eyes down his physique. “You obviously work out, so I think the fitness component is a good match.”
Adam turned his attention to the grill and flipped the burgers. “What else does she like to do?”
“Movies, primarily comedies, nothing horror or westerns.”
“Well, that might be a deal killer. There’s nothing like a good cowboy movie.” He pushed a burger around on the grill. “Anything else?”
Melinda hesitated. She could hear a distinct undertone in Adam’s voice. Unsure what it meant, she had to wonder if Beth was a good fit after all. Then she was surprised at second guessing herself again. This match felt like it had potential. “She likes to cook and prefers vacationing in Puerto Rico every winter.”
“Well, the cooking thing is good, and I do like the beach, but I’m really up to going anywhere and don’t like to go to the same spot twice.”
Melinda handed Adam Beth’s picture and waited for his reaction.
“She’s pretty,” he said.
“Do you want her number?”
He handed the page back to her. “Mel, I’m sorry, but I’m not sure.”
Was Adam losing faith in her ability? She asked, “What do you have to lose? You have coffee. If there is a spark, ask her to lunch, and then maybe dinner.”
Slowly he said, “You’re right. She does sound interesting.” He held out his hand. “I’ll call her.”
Melinda passed him a piece of paper. “Here are her details. And for what it’s worth, in my opinion you need to go out with someone three times before you really know.”
“Does that mean you think I need to take Susan out again?”
Melinda had to laugh when she saw a frown appear on Adam’s face. “Obviously she’s going to be the exception to this rule.”
Adam pretended to wipe sweat from his brow. His smile crinkled his eyes. “Whew. I wouldn’t want to have to suffer through that twice.” He opened the cover on the grill. “How do you want your burger?”
Melinda gave him a sidelong glance. “Remember rare.”
She watched as he moved the buns over the flame to give them a quick toast. She laid out the plates, silverware and tossed the salad. “Adam?”
He seemed distracted as he carefully stacked the burgers on the buns and didn’t look up. “Hm?”
“Is there something you’re not telling me? Something I need to know to help you find the right woman?”
His back went rigid. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure. It’s just that, well, I’m surprised you’re not more excited about meeting Beth.” Melinda glanced at her pale pink nail polish. “Do you think that I can’t help you meet someone?”
He turned and took a step toward her, setting the plate of burgers on the table. He ran his finger lightly down her arm. She looked up at him as a long dormant sensation slipped over her. It reminded her of how good it felt to be touched.
He said, “Absolutely not. Susan was a fluke. Some people don’t take this as seriously as they should. How can you weed out all the bad apples? You’re not a mind reader.”
“It is my specialty to be able to cut through the BS.”
Adam guided Melinda to a chair and sat down opposite from her. He moved the folder to one side. “How about we enjoy dinner?”
Melinda felt herself relax. She picked up the ketchup bottle and covered her burger. She grinned. “While we do, will you tell me what it’s like to be a Marine?” She took a bite and juice ran down her chin.
With a slow shake of his head, he said, “If you don’t mind, can we talk about something else?” He jabbed a forkful of salad. “It’s not that interesting.”
Melinda wiped her face with a napkin. “Does that mean you don’t want to talk about your time in the service?”
Adam gave a shrug and, looking resigned, said, “I enlisted after I graduated from college, went in as an officer with a degree in civil engineering. My father and grandfather had both served before me.” He took a sip of his beer and said, “I guess it was a part of my DNA.”
“I had no idea you were an engineer.” She toyed with her salad. “So why are you a handyman?”
“While on my third tour, I was on a routine mission. There was an incident. I was hospitalized. During my recovery I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Building roads, tunnels and bridges just didn’t hold any appeal. I wanted to be on my schedule, not someone else’s.”
He attacked the burger with gusto while Melinda mulled over what he said. Something didn’t add up. “I thought you were a career Marine. Couldn’t you go back to a different job?”
“No. They retired me.”
Melinda was surprised at his matter-of-fact answer. She sensed there was a lot of emotion simmering under the surface. There was more to this story, she was sure of it. But for tonight she was going to put it aside. “So tell me, how did you meet Will?”
Adam’s face visibly relaxed. “In boot camp. I’m not sure what made him decide to join, but we became fast friends. We were lucky to follow each other around for the next eight years. After our first tour he didn’t re-up. He moved home. By that time we had become like brothers.”
They finished their dinner over stories of Will and Adam’s escapades.
Melinda laughed. “I’m surprised you two didn’t get kicked out of the Marines.”
With a sneaky grin, Adam said, “Nothing can happen if you don’t get caught.”
“So how did you end up in Chester? You could have gone anywhere after you retired.”
With a shrug he said, “I don’t have much family left except for Will, and now Stacey. When he heard I was getting out, he suggested I hang my hat here, permanently or until I figured out what I wanted to do next.” He held up his beer. “So here I am.”
Melinda took a sip of her wine. “And I’m glad you did.” She looked around her backyard. “If you hadn’t, I probably would never have taken the plunge with the pergola.”
“I’m sure you would have, once you found the right contractor.”
“No, I don’t think so. I had talked to other companies, but there was something about the way you knew exactly what I had in mind.”
Adam smiled. “Great minds think alike.”
Melinda leaned back in her chair and smiled back. “You might be right.”